Device management device, and recording medium storing a device management program

ABSTRACT

Updating a database is accelerated. A device management device manages a device having a database, and includes: an acquisition unit configured to acquire database state information from the device; and an updating unit configured to send update data for updating the database to the device, and cause the device to update the database based on the update data. The updating unit selectively executes, based on the database state information, a first updating process of sequentially sending the updated portions of the update data to the device to change the updated portions of the database; or a second updating process of sending all of the update data to the device to refresh the complete database.

BACKGROUND 1. Technical Field

The present invention relates to a device management device, and arecording medium storing a device management program.

2. Related Art

Updating databases stored by devices may be necessary.

As a related technology, JP-A-2010-199671 describes an address bookmanagement device that runs an address book manager applicationconfigured to extract the fax number of the sender and the name of theaddressee from e-mail messages received through an e-mail program, andregisters the fax number and addressee in the address book of the faxmachine.

Faster updating of the database was required.

The invention is directed to the foregoing problem, and provides adevice management device, and a recording medium storing a devicemanagement program, that contribute to updating a database more quickly.

SUMMARY

One aspect of the invention is a device management device that manages adevice having a database, including: an acquisition unit configured toacquire database state information from the device; and an updating unitconfigured to send update data for updating the database to the device,and cause the device to update the database based on the update data.The updating unit selectively executes, based on the database stateinformation, a first updating process of sequentially sending theupdated portions of the update data to the device to change the updatedportions of the database, or a second updating process of sending all ofthe update data to the device to refresh the complete database.

Thus comprised, when executing the second updating process is selectedbased on the database state information, the updating unit overwritesthe entire database by sending all updated data to the device, and cantherefore update the database quickly (in a short time) by the updatingmethod most appropriate to the state of the database.

In another aspect of the invention, the updating unit determines, basedon the database state information, if at least one field of the databaseis locked; executes the first updating process to change fields of thedatabase that are not locked based on the updated portions if at leastone field of the database is locked; and executes the second updatingprocess if no field of the database is locked.

When there are no locked fields in the database, this configurationenables quickly updating the database by executing the second updatingprocess.

In another aspect of the invention, the database is an address bookcontaining multiple addresses of data transmission destinations, and theaddress set as the destination of the data transmission function of thedevice may be the locked field of the database.

When an address set as the destination to which data is sent by the datatransmission function of the device is stored in an address book(database), this configuration avoids disrupting the data transmissionfunction of the device by updating the entire database.

In another aspect of the invention, the updating unit determines if thedevice is compatible with a specific protocol used for transmission forthe second updating process, and if the device is compatible with thespecific protocol, selects executing the first updating process orsecond updating process based on the database state information.

By the updating unit first determining if the device is compatible witha specific protocol used for communication in the second updatingprocess, this configuration prevents unnecessarily selecting theupdating process based on database state information.

The updating unit may use SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) forcommunication for the first updating process, and HTTP (Hyper TextTransfer Protocol) for communication for the second updating process,for example.

In another aspect of the invention, the device management device alsohas an update data generator configured to generate the update data. Theacquisition unit acquires the database from the device; and the updatedata generator displays the acquired database in a specific screen,receives edits of the database, and generates the update data accordingto the received edits.

This configuration enables easily receiving database edits from theuser, and reflecting the received edits in the updated database.

In another aspect of the invention, the update data generator stores,without reflecting in the update data, the content of edits of a lockedfield, which is the portion of the database determined to be lockedbased on the database state information; and when a locked field of thedatabase is determined to have been unlocked based on new database stateinformation acquired by the acquisition unit from the device afteredited content was stored, externally reports that edited content of thelocked field is stored.

This configuration stores edited content that the user input intendingto edit the database but which was not reflected in the updateddatabase, and then informing the user when using that edited content inthe database becomes possible.

The technical concept of the invention is not limited to the category ofa device management device, and may also be expressed as a method(device management method) including the processes and steps executedthe device management device, and as a program causing a computer toexecute these processes and steps. The invention may also be configuredas a system including a device management device and a device, and as adevice that is managed by the device management device.

Other objects and attainments together with a fuller understanding ofthe invention will become apparent and appreciated by referring to thefollowing description and claims taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of a systemaccording to the invention.

FIG. 2 is a flow chart of a database acquisition process.

FIG. 3 shows an example of part of a database.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart of the database editing process.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart of the database updating process.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

A preferred embodiment of the present invention is described below withreference to the accompanying figures. The figures show examplesconvenient for describing the invention, and the invention is obviouslynot limited thereby.

1. System Summary

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating important configurations in asystem 1 according to this embodiment of the invention. This system 1may be referred to as a device management system, or a databasemanagement system, for example. The system 1 includes a device 20 and adevice management device 10 that manages the device 20.

The device 20 is a device storing a database 27 that may be updated. Thedevice 20 may be, for example, a multifunction device including multiplefunctions such as a printing capability, scanning capability, faxtransmission capability, and e-mail communication capability. The device20 may therefore also be referred to as a printer, a scanner, a faxmachine, or a communication device.

The device management device 10 may be embodied by, for example, aserver, a personal computer (PC), a smartphone, a tablet computer, or acell phone. The device management device 10 and device 20 of the system1 are connected to communicate by wire or wirelessly. The devicemanagement device 10 and device 20 may connect through a network (suchas the Internet or a LAN).

In the example in FIG. 1, the device management device 10 includes acontroller 11, display 13, and operation input unit 14.

The controller 11 is configured with IC devices including a CPU, ROM,RAM, or other type of memory media. In the controller 11, the CPUexecutes operating processes according to a program (such as amanagement program 12) stored in ROM, for example, using RAM or otherworking memory. The device management device 10 also has a communicationinterface 15. The communication interface 15 is compatible withcommunication standards for communicating with external devices (such asdevices 20), and is connected to devices 20 through a LAN or othernetwork, for example.

The controller 11 embodies the functions of a data acquisition unit 12a, update data generator 12 b, and database updater 12 c by means of theCPU running the management program 12.

The display 13 is a means for visually presenting information, and maybe an LCD panel, OLED display panel, or other. The display 13 may be aconfiguration combining a display and a drive circuit for driving thedisplay.

The operation input unit 14 is a means for receiving user operations,and may be embodied by physical buttons, a touch panel, a mouse, or akeyboard, for example. If a touch panel, the operation input unit 14 mayalso embody the function of the display 13. The display 13 and operationinput unit 14 may also be collectively referred to as an operatingpanel, for example.

The device 20 has a controller 21, storage 22, display 23, operationinput unit 24, and processing unit 25.

The controller 21 is configured with IC devices including a CPU, ROM,RAM, or other type of memory media. In the controller 21, the CPUexecutes operating processes according to a program stored in ROM, forexample, using RAM or other working memory.

A database 27 and device management information 28 are stored in thestorage 22. The storage 22 may be part of the controller 21.

The display 23 and operation input unit 24 may be embodied in the sameway as the display 13 and operation input unit 14.

The device 20 also has a communication interface 26 compatible withcommunication standards for communicating with external devices (such asthe device management device 10).

The processing unit 25 is the generic term for a configuration thatspecifically embodies the functions of the device 20. For example, theprocessing unit 25 may include various mechanisms and configurations(configurations including software applications), such as a print unit25 a that prints on print media according to print commands from anexternal device; a scanner 25 b that optically reads a document andgenerates a read result (image data); a fax communicator 25 d that sendsand receives facsimiles; and a mail communicator 25 c that sends andreceives e-mail.

Note that while not shown in FIG. 1, a device that connects to thecommunication interface 15 of the device management device 10 isobviously not limited to the single unit (single device 20) shown in thefigure. It will also be obvious that the device 20 may communicativelyconnect through the communication interface 26 to external devices otherthan the device management device 10 (such as a personal computer or faxmachine).

2. Database Acquisition Process

FIG. 2 is a flow chart of the database acquisition process executed bythe controller 11 running the management program 12.

When the database acquisition process starts, the controller 11 hasalready identified the external device for which to acquire thedatabase. For example, the controller 11 displays a specific userinterface on the display 13. The controller 11 then receives theselection of the device for which to acquire the database. The device isselected from among the devices the device management device 10 cancurrently recognize through the communication interface 15 by a useroperation through the user interface (an operation using the operationinput unit 14). In this example, the controller 11 thereby identifiesthe device 20 as the device for which to acquire the database.

In step S100, the controller 11 (data acquisition unit 12 a) acquirescommunication support information from the device (in this example,device 20) identified as the device from which to acquire the database.The communication support information includes at least informationindicating the communication protocol used by the device 20. In thisexample, when a particular communication protocol is referred to as thefirst communication protocol, a protocol enabling communicating a largeamount of data in a shorter time than the first communication protocolis referred to as a second communication protocol. For example, if thefirst communication protocol is SNMP (Simple Network ManagementProtocol), an example of a second communication protocol is HTTP (HyperText Transfer Protocol). SNMP is a protocol for managing by an SNMPmanager devices (SNMP agents) connected to a TCP/IP (TransmissionControl Protocol/Internet Protocol) network.

This embodiment supposes that the device management device 10 is acommunication device that is compatible with both the firstcommunication protocol and second communication protocol. The device 20is a communication device that is compatible with at least the firstcommunication protocol. Therefore, the communication support informationis information indicating whether or not the device 20 is compatiblewith the second communication protocol.

In step S100, the data acquisition unit 12 a requests communicationsupport information from the device 20 through the communicationinterface 15 by communication using the first communication protocol.

The communication support information is, for example, informationcontained in a MIB (Management Information Base). An MIB is the deviceinformation belonging to an SNMP agent (device 20 in this example), andis an information group that can be accessed by a unit called an object.The device management information 28 stored in storage 22 may beconsidered such an MIB. In response to the request, the device 20 sendsits communication support information through the communicationinterface 26 using the first communication protocol to the SNMP manager(the device management device 10 in this example) that sent the request.As a result, the data acquisition unit 12 a can acquire thecommunication support information of the device 20.

The communication support information is, for example, a flag indicatingwhether or not the device 20 is compatible with the second communicationprotocol. Alternatively, the communication support information mayinclude a specific URL (Uniform Resource Locator) written in the MIB.The URL identifies the location of the database 27 the device managementdevice 10 can access by HTTP (second communication protocol) to acquirethe database 27 of the device 20. Therefore, if such a URL is containedin the communication support information, the device 20 can beconsidered compatible with the second communication protocol.

In step S110, the data acquisition unit 12 a, based on the communicationsupport information acquired in step S100, determines if the device 20is compatible with the second communication protocol. If the device 20is compatible with the second communication protocol (step S110: Yes),the data acquisition unit 12 a goes to step S120. If the device 20 isnot compatible with the second communication protocol (step S110: No),the data acquisition unit 12 a goes to step S130.

In step S120, the data acquisition unit 12 a communicates with thedevice 20 through the communication interface 15 using the secondcommunication protocol, and acquires the entire database 27 stored bythe device 20. In this event, the data acquisition unit 12 a functionsas a browser using HTTP, for example, connects to the device 20identified by the URL, and sends a command (Get method) for acquiringthe database 27. In response to the command, the device 20 sends to thedevice management device 10 an HTML file (Hyper Text Markup Language)expressing the database 27. As a result, the data acquisition unit 12 acan acquire the complete database 27 of the device 20.

The database 27 of the device 20 is, for example, an address bookstoring multiple addresses (contacts) to which information may be sent.The address to which information is sent may be, for example, an e-mailaddress, a fax number, or the path to a folder (directory) reserved on astorage medium of another type of external device. The address book mayalso be referred to as an address directory or contact list, forexample.

FIG. 3 shows an example of part of a database 27. FIG. 3 shows thedatabase 27 in a text-based format. In the example in FIG. 3, eachaddress entry includes the Name, Address, and other attributes of theaddressee (contact). The database 27 may contain, for example,information about several thousand or more contacts.

In step S130, the device 20 acquires the database 27 in segments by thedata acquisition unit 12 a communicating through the communicationinterface 15 using the first communication protocol. For example, if thefirst communication protocol is SNMP, data is transmitted repeatedly inunits of a relatively small size of 255 bytes or less between the devicemanagement device 10 and device 20. As a result, the data acquisitionunit 12 a receives part of the information in the database 27sequentially in packets from the device 20 until the entire database 27has been received.

In steps S120 and S130, the data acquisition unit 12 a acquires database27 state information in addition to the database 27. Database 27 stateinformation is information indicating whether or not a particular block(field) of information (such as the Address) registered in the database27 is locked. For example, if the address book database 27 contains 2000addresses, the database 27 state information indicates, for each of the2000 addresses, whether a particular address is locked. The database 27state information is also part of the device management information 28(MIB).

When an address is set as the transmission destination of the datatransmission function of the device 20, that address is said to belocked.

For example, suppose the device 20 has an automatic fax relay function.When the fax communicator 25 d receives a fax signal from an externaldevice and an e-mail address was previously set as the destination, themail communicator 25 c uses the automatic fax relay function toautomatically send the received content to that e-mail address. When thefax communicator 25 d receives a fax signal from an external device anda fax number was previously set as the destination, the mailcommunicator 25 c uses the automatic fax relay function to automaticallysend the received content to that fax number.

In another example, the device 20 has an automatic scanned documentrelay function. The automatic scanned document relay functionautomatically sends image data generated when the scanner 25 b scans adocument to the folder previously set as the destination.

The e-mail address and fax number that may be previously set as thedestination to render the automatic fax relay function, and the path tothe folder previously set as the destination to render the automaticscanned document relay function, are examples of locked addresses.

In other words, when an address registered in the database 27 of thedevice 20 is set as the destination to which information is sent by thedata transmission function of the device 20, information indicating thatthe address changed from the unlocked state to the locked state iswritten to the device management information 28 (MIB) as a type ofdatabase 27 state information. When an address registered in thedatabase 27 of the device 20 is removed as the destination of the datatransmission function of the device 20, information indicating that theaddress changed from the locked state to the unlocked state is writtento the device management information 28 (MIB) as a type of database 27state information.

Locked means that the value stored in that field cannot be changed.Acquiring the database 27 state information in steps S120 and S130 isdone by the data acquisition unit 12 a communicating with the device 20through the communication interface 15 using the first communicationprotocol. Because the database 27 state information is part of thedevice management information 28 (MIB), the data acquisition unit 12 asequentially acquires required information (the database 27 stateinformation) from the MIB in segments by communicating with the device20 according to the first communication protocol.

After executing step S120 or step S130, the data acquisition unit 12 aends the database acquisition process. The data acquisition unit 12 astores the data acquired from the device 20 in step S120 or step S130 ina specific storage area of the device management device 10.

3. Database Editing Process

FIG. 4 is a flow chart of the database editing process embodied by thecontroller 11 executing the management program 12. The database editingprocess is executed after the database acquisition process (FIG. 2).

In step S200, the controller 11 (update data generator 12 b) displays onthe display 13 an editor for editing the database 27 acquired in stepS120 or S130 of the database acquisition process. The update datagenerator 12 b in this example displays an editor presenting the contentof the database 27 in a spreadsheet format. This editor is another typeof user interface.

Next, the update data generator 12 b receives edits of the database 27(step S210). More specifically, the user inputs to the editor displayedon the display 13 by operating the operation input unit 14, and editsthe content of the current database 27 as desired. However, the updatedata generator 12 b does not accept edits of information in the database27 that is locked (such as a locked address). Whether a particularaddress is locked can be determined based on the database 27 stateinformation acquired as described above. For example, the update datagenerator 12 b may disable input from the user by displaying the fieldcontaining a locked address grayed out in the editor on the display 13.

The update data generator 12 b then generates update data according tothe edits received in step S210 (step S220). In this example, the devicemanagement device 10 overwrites the database 27 currently stored withthe edited content accepted in step S210. This generates an editeddatabase 27, that is, update data. As a result, unlocked addresses (faxnumbers or e-mail addresses, for example) may be changed in the database27 stored by the device management device 10.

4. Database Updating Process

FIG. 5 is a flow chart of the database updating process rendered by thecontroller 11 executing the management program 12. The database updatingprocess is executed after the database editing process (FIG. 4).

In step S300, the controller 11 (database updater 12 c), based on thecommunication support information already acquired in step S100 (FIG.2), determines if the device 20 is compatible with the secondcommunication protocol. The same operation performed in step S110 (FIG.2) is performed in step S300. If the device 20 is compatible with thesecond communication protocol (step S300: Yes), the database updater 12c goes to step S310. If the device 20 is not compatible with the secondcommunication protocol (step S300: No), the database updater 12 c goesto step S330.

In step S310, the database updater 12 c, based on the database 27 stateinformation already acquired in step S120 or step S130 (FIG. 2),determines if there is at least one locked data field (address) in thedatabase 27. If there is at least one locked data field (address) in thedatabase 27 (step S310: Yes), the database updater 12 c goes to stepS330. If there is not at least one locked data field (address) in thedatabase 27 (step S310: No), the database updater 12 c goes to stepS320.

In step S330, the database updater 12 c, by communicating with thedevice 20 through the communication interface 15 using the firstcommunication protocol, sequentially sends the updated data generated instep S220 (FIG. 4) one part at a time, that is sends part of the updatedata, to the device 20. Of the update data (edited database 27), theportion that was actually overwritten by the edits in step S210 is thepart of the update data that is sent. By sequentially sending this partof the data to the device 20, the device 20 can update the database 27in segments (update the parts of the database 27 that changed). Eachtime a block of data is sent from the device management device 10 by thefirst communication protocol is received, the device 20 updates(overwrites) that part of the database 27 stored by the device 20.Updating the database 27 by such data blocks is referred to as a firstupdate.

Note that in the database editing process (FIG. 4), information that islocked in the database 27 cannot be edited. As a result, the updatedportion of the edited data is edited data that is not locked in thedatabase 27. Therefore, the first update, by sequentially sending partsof the edited data to the device 20, results in parts of the database 27that are not locked on the device 20 being updated by the updated partsthat are sent.

However, in step S320, the database updater 12 c, by communicating withthe device 20 through the communication interface 15 using the secondcommunication protocol, sends all of the updated data generated in stepS220 (FIG. 4) to the device 20 in a batch. By sending the updated datain a single batch to the device 20, the entire database 27 can beupdated at once on the device 20. More specifically, the device 20overwrites the database 27 stored on the device 20 with the updated datatransmitted from the device management device 10 using the secondcommunication protocol. Updating the entire database 27 by the updateddata in this way is referred to as a second update. Note that eventhough the entire database 27 stored by the device 20 is overwritten,only those parts of the database 27 on the device 20 that correspond tothe parts that were edited in the database editing process (FIG. 4) areactually changed.

5. Summary

In this embodiment of the invention, a device management device 10 thatmanages a device 20 having a database 27 comprises a data acquisitionunit 12 a that acquires database 27 state information from the device20, and a database updater 12 c that sends update data for updating thedatabase 27 to the device 20, causing the database 27 to be updatedaccording to the update data. The database updater 12 c chooses whetherto execute a first update (step S330) or a second update (step S320). Inthe first update (step S330), the database updater 12 c sequentiallysends to the device 20 the parts of the data that were updated based onthe database 27 state information, causing the device 20 to update onlythe parts of the database 27 that were changed. In the second update(step S320), the database updater 12 c sends the updated data to thedevice 20 in a single batch to update the entire database 27.

Therefore, when executing the second update is selected based on thestate information, the updated data is transmitted in a single batch torefresh the entire database 27 using a high speed second communicationprotocol, and the database 27, which in many cases contains a largeamount of data, can be updated quickly (in a short time).

In this embodiment, the database updater 12 c determines based on thedatabase 27 state information if one or more parts of the database 27are locked (step S310). If at least part of the database 27 is locked(step S310: Yes), the database updater 12 c updates the parts of thedatabase 27 that are not locked by sending the changed parts of data inthe first update process. If no part of the database 27 is locked (stepS310: No), the second update is executed. When no part of the database27 is locked, this configuration enables updating the database 27quickly by executing the second update process (step S320). Morespecifically, the database 27 updating process can be executed quicklyappropriately to the state of the database 27.

In the example described above, the database 27 is an address bookstoring numerous addresses for data transmission, and the address set asthe destination to which data is sent by the data transmission functionof the device 20 is the part (field) that is locked. When part of thedatabase 27 is determined to be locked (step S310: Yes), even if thesecond update process is executed (step S320), there is the possibilityof unexpected changes to addresses that should not be changed (such asthe address set as the destination address of the data transmissionfunction of the device 20) and the operation of the data transmissionfunction becoming unreliable, but the embodiment described above canavoid destabilizing the operation of the data transmission function.

In the embodiment described above, the database updater 12 c determinesif the device 20 is compatible with a specific protocol (secondcommunication protocol) used for communication in the second updateprocess (step S300), and if the device 20 is compatible with the secondcommunication protocol (step S300: Yes), selects executing the firstupdate or second update process based on the database 27 stateinformation (step S310). By determining if the device 20 is compatiblewith the second communication protocol before the selection based on thedatabase 27 state information (step S310), making an unnecessaryselection based on the database 27 state information (step S310) can beprevented.

In this embodiment of the invention the device management device 10 hasan update data generator 12 b that generates update data; the dataacquisition unit 12 a acquires a database 27 from the device 20 (FIG.1); and the update data generator 12 b displays the acquired database 27in a specific window (editor), receives edits to the database 27, andgenerates update data based on the accepted edits (FIG. 4). Thuscomprised, user edits of the database 27 can be easily accepted, and theaccepted edits can be reflected in changes to the database 27.

6. Other Embodiments

The invention is not limited to the foregoing embodiments, and can bevaried in many ways as described below.

When receiving edits of the database 27 through the editor (step S210),the update data generator 12 b does not accept edits of areas (lockedareas) of the database 27 that are determined to be locked based on thedatabase 27 state information. However, the update data generator 12 bmay store edited content of these locked areas without reflecting thechanges in the update data generated in step S220. After the edit isstored, the data acquisition unit 12 a executes the database acquisitionprocess (FIG. 2) again, and acquires new state information from thedevice 20. If a part of the database 27 that was previously locked isdetermined to have been unlocked based on the new database 27 stateinformation acquired from the device 20, the update data generator 12 breports externally (to the user) that edited content for that lockedarea is stored (the area corresponding to the area previously locked inthe database 27).

Reporting to the user may be done by displaying a specific message inthe editor, or reporting by audio output from a speaker (not shown) ofthe device management device 10, for example. When the user acknowledgesthe report, the user can view through the editor the edited content thatis currently stored by the device management device 10 and was notaccepted during the previous edit of the database 27, and input theedited content to the current editor screen. As a result, the user canreflect content that was not reflected in the update data during theprevious edit of the database 27 in the data that is updated during thecurrent database 27 editing process.

The first communication protocol and second communication protocol arenot limited to the specific examples described above (SNMP, HTTP). Forexample, the second communication protocol may be by HTTPS (Hyper TextTransfer Protocol Secure), or another protocol suitable for high speedtransmission of a large amount of data.

If in the database update process (FIG. 5) the database updater 12 cdetermines Yes in step S300 and Yes in step S310, a third option that isnot step S320 or step S330 may be executed. In this third option, thedatabase updater 12 c, by communicating through the communicationinterface 15 using the second communication protocol, sends all of theupdate data generated in step S220 (FIG. 4) to the device 20. The device20 that receives the updates database may then overwrite, based on thechanged parts of the update data, the parts of the database 27 stored bythe device 20 that were changed (while avoiding changing lockedportions). This combination of batch transmission of the update data tothe device 20, and partially updating the database 27 stored on thedevice 20 based on the changed portions, may be referred to as a thirdupdate.

In the embodiment described above a controller 11 having a CPU, ROM, andRAM embodies functions including the data acquisition unit 12 a, updatedata generator 12 b, and database updater 12 c in software by runningthe management program 12, but some of these functions may be embodiedin hardware.

The invention being thus described, it will be obvious that it may bevaried in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as adeparture from the spirit and scope of the invention, and all suchmodifications as would be obvious to one skilled in the art are intendedto be included within the scope of the following claims.

The entire disclosure of Japanese Patent Application No. 2016-180753,filed Sep. 15, 2016, is expressly incorporated by reference herein.

What is claimed is:
 1. A device management device that manages a devicehaving a database, comprising: an acquisition unit configured to acquiredatabase state information from the device, the database stateinformation indicating whether a portion of the database is locked; andan updating unit configured to send update data for updating thedatabase to the device, and cause the device to update the databasebased on the update data, the updating unit selectively executing, basedon the database state information, a first updating process ofsequentially sending a first portion and a second portion of the updatedata to the device to change one or more updated portions of thedatabase, or a second updating process of sending all of the update datato the device to refresh the complete database.
 2. The device managementdevice described in claim 1, wherein: the updating unit determines,based on the database state information, if at least one field of thedatabase is locked, executes the first updating process to change fieldsof the database that are not locked based on the updated portions if atleast one field of the database is locked, and executes the secondupdating process if no field of the database is locked.
 3. The devicemanagement device described in claim 2, wherein: the database is anaddress book containing multiple addresses of data transmissiondestinations, and the address set as the destination of the datatransmission function of the device is the locked field of the database.4. The device management device described in claim 1, wherein: theupdating unit determines if the device is compatible with a specificprotocol used for transmission for the second updating process, and ifthe device is compatible with the specific protocol, selects executingthe first updating process or second updating process based on thedatabase state information.
 5. The device management device described inclaim 1, wherein: the updating unit uses SNMP (Simple Network ManagementProtocol) for communication for the first updating process, and usesHTTP (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol) for communication for the secondupdating process.
 6. The device management device described in claim 1,further comprising: an update data generator configured to generate theupdate data; the acquisition unit acquiring the database from thedevice; and the update data generator displaying the acquired databasein a specific screen, receiving edits of the database, and generatingthe update data according to the received edits.
 7. The devicemanagement device described in claim 6, wherein: the update datagenerator stores, without reflecting in the update data, the content ofedits of a locked field, which is the portion of the database determinedto be locked based on the database state information; and when a lockedfield of the database is determined to have been unlocked based on newdatabase state information acquired by the acquisition unit from thedevice after edited content was stored, externally reporting that editedcontent of the locked field is stored.
 8. A computer-readable,non-transitory recording medium storing a device management programenabling a computer to manage a device having a database, the devicemanagement program comprising: an acquisition function of acquiringdatabase state information from the device, the database stateinformation indicating whether a portion of the database is locked; andan updating function of sending update data for updating the database tothe device, and causing the device to update the database based on theupdate data, the updating function selectively executing, based on thedatabase state information, a first updating process of sequentiallysending a first portion and a second portion of the update data to thedevice to change one or more updated portions of the database, or asecond updating process of sending all of the update data to the deviceto refresh the complete database.